Find out how popular the last name Ironshell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ironshell.

Ironshell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ironshell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ironshell in America

Ironshell is the 118853rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ironshell surname appeared 146 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ironshell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ironshell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ironshell

The surname IRONSHELL is of English origin, arising in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'iren' meaning iron and 'scel' meaning shell or scale, referring to a type of armor or protective covering made of overlapping iron plates. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a person involved in the production or wearing of such armor.

The earliest recorded instance of the name IRONSHELL appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, England, dated 1275, which mentions a William Irneshelle. Similar early spellings include Irneshell, Yrinshell, and Yrneshell. These variations reflect the inconsistent spellings common before modern standardization.

In the 14th century, the IRONSHELL name is found in several tax and legal records across northern England, suggesting the family was well-established in areas like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. A notable early bearer was John Yrneshell, a landowner in Farnham, Yorkshire, recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax returns.

The IRONSHELL name appears to have connections to the armoring trade in medieval times. An entry in the Guild Records of York from 1423 mentions a Thomas Irneshelle, described as an 'armorer'. This suggests the surname may have originated as an occupational name for an ironsmith or maker of iron armor.

Several IRONSHELLs are recorded in history, including William IRONSHELL (c.1530-1592), a merchant and alderman in the city of York, and Robert IRONSHELL (1612-1678), a scholar and clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire.

In the 17th century, branches of the IRONSHELL family migrated to the American colonies, with records showing IRONSHELLs settling in Virginia and Massachusetts. Notably, Samuel IRONSHELL (1645-1718) was a prominent landowner and militia captain in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

Other notable IRONSHELLs include John IRONSHELL (1772-1848), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Elizabeth IRONSHELL (1820-1912), an American author and poet from Philadelphia whose works were published in several literary journals of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ironshell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ironshell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ironshell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ironshell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ironshell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ironshell, please contact us.

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